Potential shift of bacterial community structure and corrosion-related bacteria in drinking water distribution pipeline driven by water source switching

• Bacterial release from aged pipe sections under extreme conditions was quantified. • Released bacterial community structure exhibited large variation after transition. • Risks from transition reduced significantly with cleaner source. As a result of pollution in the present water sources, cities have been forced to utilize cleaner water sources. There are few reports regarding the potential shift of bacterial community structure driven by water source switching, especially that of corrosion-related bacteria. Three types of finished water were used for simulation, the polluted source water from the Qiantang and Dongtiaoxi Rivers (China) was replaced by cleaner water from Qiandao Lake (China). Here, we discussed the transition effects through three simulated reactors. The bacterial characteristics were identified using the high-throughput sequencing and heterotrophic plate count method. It was observed that the level of culturable bacteria declined by 2–3 orders of magnitude after water source switching. The bacterial community released from the pipeline reactor was significantly different under different finished water, and it exhibited large variation at the genus level. Porphyrobacter (58.2%) and Phreatobacter (14.5%) clearly replaced Novosphingobium, Aquabacterium, and Cupriavidus as new dominant genera in system A, which could be attributed to the lower carbon and nitrogen content of the new water source. Although corrosion-inhibiting bacteria decreased after switching, they still maintained dominant in three reactors (6.6%, 15.9%, and 19.7%). Furthermore, potential opportunistic pathogens such as Sphingomonas were detected. Our study shows that after transition to a high quality water source, the total culturable bacteria released was in a downtrend, which leads to a great reduction in the risk of bacterial leakage in the produced drinking water.     

Presence,dissemination and removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in urban drinking water system: A review

Reviewed the change of ARGs and ARB in full-scale urban drinking water systems. Conventional processes are more promising than BAC process in ARGs removal. Mechanisms of ARGs enrichment and spread in BAC filter and DWDSs are discussed. Raise the need of future research on ARGs and ARB change in building plumbing systems. Antibiotic resistance in aquatic environment has become an important pollution problem worldwide. In recent years, much attention was paid to antibiotic resistance in urban drinking water systems due to its close relationship with the biosafety of drinking water. This review was focused on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, as well as the presence, dissemination and removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the urban drinking water system. First, the presence of ARB and ARGs in the drinking water source was discussed. The variation of concentration of ARGs and ARB during coagulation, sedimentation and filtration process were provided subsequently, in which filtration was proved to be a promising technology to remove ARGs. However, biological activated carbon (BAC) process and drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) could be incubators which promote the antibiotic resistance, due to the enrichment of ARGs and ARB in the biofilms attached to the active carbon and pipe wall. Besides, as for disinfection process, mechanisms of the inactivation of ARB and the promotion of conjugative transfer of ARGs under chlorine, ozone and UV disinfection were described in detail. Here we provide some theoretical support for future researches which aim at antibiotic resistance controlling in drinking water.     

Effect of nitrobenzene on the performance and bacterial community in an expanded granular sludge bed reactor treating high-sulfate organic wastewater

Less than 50 mg/L nitrobenzene brought little effect on anaerobic sulfate reduction. Kinetics of sulfate reduction under different nitrobenzene contents was studied. Increased nitrobenzene contents greatly changed the bacterial community structure. Genus Desulfovibrio played the key role in anaerobic sulfate reduction process. Nitrobenzene (NB) is frequently found in wastewaters containing sulfate and may affect biological sulfate reduction process, but information is limited on the responses of sulfate reduction efficiency and microbial community to the increased NB contents. In this study, a laboratory-scale expanded granular sludge bed reactor was operated continuously to treat high-sulfate organic wastewater with increased NB contents. Results successfully demonstrated that the presence of more than 50 mg/L NB depressed sulfate reduction and such inhibition was partly reversible. Bath experiments showed that the maximum specific desulfuration activity (SDA) decreased from 135.80 mg SO₄^2?/gVSS/d to 30.78 mg SO₄^2?/gVSS/d when the NB contents increased from none to 400 mg/L. High-throughput sequencing showed that NB also greatly affected bacterial community structure. Bacteroidetes dominated in the bioreactor. The abundance of Proteobacteria increased with NB addition while Firmicutes presented an opposite trend. Proteobacteria gradually replaced Firmicutes for the dominance in response to the increase of influent NB concentrations. The genus Desulfovibrio was the dominant sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with absence or presence of NB, but was inhibited under high content of NB. The results provided better understanding for the biological sulfate reduction under NB stress.     

肇庆市饮用水水源地环境保护之现状

总结了肇庆市城镇、乡镇和农村饮用水水源地的调查情况,深入分析了影响各水源地水质情况的原因以及产生的影响,并此提出相应的环保建议和改善措施.     

Comparative genotoxicity of water processed by three drinking water treatment plants with different water treatment procedures

• Genotoxicity of substances is unknown in the water after treatment processes. • Genotoxicity decreased by activated carbon treatment but increased by chlorination. • Halogenated hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds contribute to genotoxicity. • Genotoxicity was assessed by umu test; acute and chronic toxicity by ECOSAR. • Inconsistent results confirmed that genotoxicity cannot be assessed by ECOSAR. Advanced water treatment is commonly used to remove micropollutants such as pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and disinfection byproducts in modern drinking water treatment plants. However, little attention has been paid to the changes in the genotoxicity of substances remaining in the water following the different water treatment processes. In this study, samples were collected from three drinking water treatment plants with different treatment processes. The treated water from each process was analyzed and compared for genotoxicity and the formation of organic compounds. The genotoxicity was evaluated by an umu test, and the acute and chronic toxicity was analyzed through Ecological Structure- Activity Relationship (ECOSAR). The results of the umu test indicated that biological activated carbon reduced the genotoxicity by 38%, 77%, and 46% in the three drinking water treatment plants, respectively, while chlorination increased the genotoxicity. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that halogenated hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds were major contributors to genotoxicity. The results of ECOSAR were not consistent with those of the umu test. Therefore, we conclude that genotoxicity cannot be determined using ECOSAR .     

Biofiltration and disinfection codetermine the bacterial antibiotic resistome in drinking water: A review and meta-analysis

• Published data was used to analyze the fate of ARGs in water treatment. • Biomass removal leads to the reduction in absolute abundance of ARGs. • Mechanism that filter biofilm maintain ARB/ARGs was summarized. • Potential BAR risks caused by biofiltration and chlorination were proposed. The bacterial antibiotic resistome (BAR) is one of the most serious contemporary medical challenges. The BAR problem in drinking water is receiving growing attention. In this study, we focused on the distribution, changes, and health risks of the BAR throughout the drinking water treatment system. We extracted the antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) data from recent publications and analyzed ARG profiles based on diversity, absolute abundance, and relative abundance. The absolute abundance of ARG was found to decrease with water treatment processes and was positively correlated with the abundance of 16S rRNA (r² = 0.963, p<0.001), indicating that the reduction of ARG concentration was accompanied by decreasing biomass. Among treatment processes, biofiltration and chlorination were discovered to play important roles in shaping the bacterial antibiotic resistome. Chlorination exhibited positive effects in controlling the diversity of ARG, while biofiltration, especially granular activated carbon filtration, increased the diversity of ARG. Both biofiltration and chlorination altered the structure of the resistome by affecting relative ARG abundance. In addition, we analyzed the mechanism behind the impact of biofiltration and chlorination on the bacterial antibiotic resistome. By intercepting influent ARG-carrying bacteria, biofilters can enrich various ARGs and maintain ARGs in biofilm. Chlorination further selects bacteria co-resistant to chlorine and antibiotics. Finally, we proposed the BAR health risks caused by biofiltration and chlorination in water treatment. To reduce potential BAR risk in drinking water, membrane filtration technology and water boiling are recommended at the point of use.     

A red water occurrence in drinking water distribution systems caused by changes in water source in Beijing,China: mechanism analysis and control measures

A red water phenomenon occurred in several communities few days after the change of water source in Beijing, China in 2008. In this study, the origin of this problem, the mechanism of iron release and various control measures were investigated. The results indicated that a significant increase in sulphate concentration as a result of the new water source was the cause of the red water phenomenon. The mechanism of iron release was found that the high-concentration sulphate in the new water source disrupted the stable shell of scale on the inner pipe and led to the release of iron compounds. Experiments showed that the iron release rate in the new source water within pipe section was over 11-fold higher than that occurring within the local source water. The recovery of tap water quality lasted several months despite ameliora- tive measures being implemented, including adding phosphate, reducing the overall proportion of the new water source, elevating the pH and alkalinity, and utilizing free chlorine as a disinfectant instead of chloramine. Adding phosphate was more effective and more practical than the other measures. The iron release rate was decreased after the addition of 1.5 mg. L-1 orthophosphate- P, tripolyphosphate-P and hexametaphosphate-P by 68%, 83% and 87%, respectively. Elevating the pH and alkalinity also reduced the iron release rate by 50%. However, the iron release rate did not decreased after replacing chloramine by 0.5-0.8 mg. L-1 of free chlorine as disinfectant.     

Presence of metals in drinking water distribution networks due to pipe material leaching: a review

Drinking water quality should remain constant from the drinking water treatment plant to the consumer's tap. However, water quality characteristics might be affected by interactions with pipe materials. This review describes the iron, copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, chromium, and cadmium in drinking water leached from the pipe material present in drinking water, as well as the factors and mechanisms that affect leaching processes. Data analysis suggests that monitoring the water quality in distribution systems is important for their proper management; however, the low measured concentrations highlight the need for sensitive sensors. In addition, further research is necessary to anticipate possible future effects before the installation of new materials/infrastructure or changes in water source/treatment.     

饮用水细菌内毒素污染的风险识别与分析研究进展

细菌内毒素,又称脂多糖分子或者热原,是革兰氏阴性细菌和某些蓝藻细胞壁组分,主要由菌体死亡解体后释放.内毒素是常见的外源性致热原,属于强免疫刺激剂,与多种人类疾病密切相关.由于饮用水中会滋长微生物,因此内毒素污染在饮用水中普遍存在.近年来,国外研究中饮用水的细菌内毒素污染开始受到关注,成为饮用水微生物安全领域新兴的研究方向.本文概述了细菌内毒素的物化性质和生物活性,分析了细菌内毒素在饮用水中的存在形态,综述了国内外关于地表水源、地下水源、管网末梢水和深度处理水的内毒素污染调查状况,分析了传统水处理技术、深度处理技术和饮用水消毒技术对内毒素的控制效果,探讨了饮用水中内毒素的血液暴露、呼吸暴露和胃肠暴露途径导致机体潜在的健康风险、安全阈值和相关标准,并对饮用水细菌内毒素污染研究方向进行了展望.     

Fluoride distribution in groundwater and survey of dental fluorosis among school children in the villages of the Jhajjar District of Haryana,India

Fluoride concentration of groundwater reserves occurs in many places in the world. A critical area for such contamination in India is alluvial soil of the plain region, consisting of five blocks (Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Beri, Matanhail, and Sahalawas) of the Jhajjar District adjacent to the National Capital Territory of India, New Delhi. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between water fluoride levels and prevalence of dental fluorosis among school children of the Jhajjar District of Haryana, India. The fluoride content in underground drinking water sources was found to vary in villages. Hence, the villages were categorized as high-fluoride villages (1.52–4.0 mg F/l) and low/normal-fluoride villages (0.30–1.0 mg F/l). The source of dental fluorosis data was school-going children (7–15 years) showing different stages and types of fluorosis who were permanent resident of these villages. The fraction of dental fluorosis-affected children varied from 30% to 94.85% in the high-fluoride villages and from 8.80% to 28.20% in the low/normal-fluoride villages. The results of the present study revealed that there existed a significant positive correlation between fluoride concentration in drinking water and dental fluorosis in high-fluoride villages (r = 0.508; p < 0.001) and insignificant correlation in low-fluoride villages.     

Different response of bacterial community to the changes of nutrients and pollutants in sediments from an urban river network

• Bacterial community varied spatially in sediments from the urban river network. • Key environmental factors shaping bacterial community were detected by RDA. • Bacterial co-occurrence networks changed at different levels of nutrient and metal. • Potential indicator species were selected to predict pollution risk in sediment. Microbial communities in sediment are an important indicator linking to environmental pollution in urban river systems. However, how the diversity and structure of bacterial communities in sediments from an urban river network respond to different environmental factors has not been well studied. The goal of this study was to understand the patterns of bacterial communities in sediments from a highly dense urbanized river network in the lower Yangtze River Delta by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The correlations between bacterial communities, the environmental gradient and geographical distance were analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA) and network methods. The diversity and richness of bacterial community in sediments increased from upstream to downstream consistently with the accumulation of nutrient in the urban river network. Bacterial community composition and structure showed obvious spatial changes, leading to two distinct groups, which were significantly related to the characteristics of nutrient and heavy metal in sediments. Humic substance, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, Zn, Cu, Hg and As were selected as the key environmental factors shaping the bacterial community in sediments based on RDA. The co-occurrence patterns of bacterial networks showed that positive interaction between bacterial communities increased but the connectivity among bacterial genera and stability of sediment ecosystem reduced under a higher content of nutrient and heavy metal in average. The sensitive and ubiquitous taxa with an overproportional response to key environmental factors were detected as indicator species, which provided a novel method for the prediction of the pollution risk of sediment in an urban river network.     

Impact of total organic carbon and chlorine to ammonia ratio on nitrification in a bench-scale drinking water distribution system

Nitrification occurs in chloraminated drinking water systems and is affected by water quality parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of total organic carbon and chlorine to ammonia ratio on nitrification potential in a simulated drinking water distribution system as during chloramination. The occurrence of nitrification and activity of nitrifying bacteria was primarily monitored using four rotating annular bioreactors (RAB) with different chlorine to ammonia ratios and total organic carbon (TOC) levels. The results indicated that nitrification occurred despite at a low influent concentration of ammonia, and a high concentration of nitrite nitrogen was detected in the effluent. The study illustrated that reactors 1(R1) and 3 (R3), with higher TOC levels, produced more nitrite nitrogen, which was consistent with the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) counts, and was linked to a relatively more rapid decay of chloramines in comparison to their counterparts (R2 and R4). The AOB and HPC counts were correlated during the biofilm formation with the establishment of nitrification. Biofilm AOB abundance was also higher in the high TOC reactors compared with the low TOC reactors. The chlorine to ammonia ratio did not have a significant impact on the occurrence of nitrification. Bulk water with a high TOC level supported the occurrence of nitrification, and AOB development occurred at all examined chlorine to ammonia dose ratios (3:1 or 5:1).     

富营养化水体降磷对浮游植物群落结构特征的影响

浮游植物是水生态系统中物质循环和能量流动的基础,作为初级生产者,浮游植物的群落结构直接影响着水生态系统的结构和功能。在水产养殖生产中,如何根据养殖生物对生活环境的需求开展精准培水、定向培水,培养养殖生物所需要的浮游植物,在维持养殖水域生态平衡的同时又能为养殖生物提供一定的饵料资源,这一直是摆在水产科技工作者面前的重要难题和研究热点。已有的资料大都是通过添加磷的方式研究磷改变对浮游植物生长的影响,而有关富营养化水体降磷对浮游植物群落结构影响的研究尚未见报道。为此,试验通过向取自富营养化湖泊的水体中加入磷去除剂,采用Pielou均匀度指数、Mcnaughton优势度指数和Shannon多样性指数,研究自然水体中的磷被降低后水体浮游植物群落结构的变化情况。结果表明,所取富营养化水体中共检出绿藻（Chlorophyta）、硅藻（Bacillariophyta）、蓝藻（Cyanophyta）、裸藻（Euglenophyta）、隐藻（Cryptophyta）、甲藻（Pyrrophyta）6门29种（包括变种和变型）;其中绿藻、蓝藻、硅藻、隐藻、裸藻、甲藻分别有7、4、2、1、1种,分别占总种数的24.13%、13.79%、6.90%、3.45%、3.45%。富营养化水体降磷后,虽然试验组和对照组在浮游植物种类组成上没有差异,但浮游植物群落结构特征发生了很大变化,浮游植物数量明显降低,由13 238.8×104cells·L-1降低至3 997.5×104cells·L-1,下降了69.8%;浮游植物优势种从1门（蓝藻（Cyanophyta））6种增加到3门（绿藻（Chlorophyta）、硅藻（Bacillariophyta）、蓝藻（Cyanophyta））12种,优势度指数从97.29%降低至86.30%,优势种门数和优势种种数远远高于对照组,优势度明显低于对照组;同时,浮游植物多样性指数和均匀度分别从1.85和0.38升高至2.60和0.54,显示出试验组浮游植物多样性和均匀度优于对照组。研究表明富营养化水体降磷对浮游植物群落结构产生了明显影响,使群落结构处于更加复杂、完整和稳定的状态。     

Acute toxicity assessment of drinking water source with luminescent bacteria: Impact of environmental conditions and a case study in Luoma Lake,East China

• Acute toxicity assessment was conducted in Luoma lake watershed, East China. • Impacts of environmental factors on the toxicity testing was fully evaluated. • Dissolve oxygen had a weak positive correlation with luminescence inhibition rate. Protecting the quality of lake watersheds by preventing and reducing their contamination is an effective approach to ensure the sustainability of the drinking water supply. In this study, acute toxicity assessment was conducted on the basis of acute bioluminescence inhibition assay using the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri as the test organism and Luoma Lake drinking water source in East China as the research target. The suitable ranges of environmental factors, including pH value, organic matter, turbidity, hardness, and dissolved oxygen of water samples were evaluated for the toxicity testing of bioluminescent bacteria. The physicochemical characteristics of water samples at the selected 43 sites of Luoma Lake watershed were measured. Results showed that the variations in pH value (7.31–8.41), hardness (5–20 °d) and dissolved oxygen (4.44–11.03 mg/L) of Luoma Lake and its main inflow and outflow rivers had negligible impacts on the acute toxicity testing of V. fischeri. The luminescence inhibition rates ranged from -11.21% to 10.80% at the 43 sites. Pearson’s correlation analysis in the experiment revealed that temperature, pH value, hardness, and turbidity had no correlation with luminescence inhibition rate, whereas dissolved oxygen showed a weak statistically positive correlation with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.455 (p<0.05).     

猫儿山自然保护区森林群落垂直格局与主导因素分析

陆地生态系统中海拔高度的变化会导致植物群落的垂直性分布,这是形成植物多样性的一个重要性原因。了解和分析不同区域植物群落的垂直性分布规律和生物多样性形成机制对保护森林生物多样性具有重要意义。本文通过对猫儿山自然保护区不同海拔高度森林植物群落和环境因子的调查,运用双向指示种分析（Two-way Indicator-Species Analysis）和典范对应分析（Canonical Correspondence Analysis）,对不同海拔高度的群落进行划分,对决定植物群落分布的主导环境因子进行分析,结果表明：（1）猫儿自然保护区森林群落可以分为7个群落类型,其代表树种分别是罗浮栲Castanopsis fabri、栲树Castanopsis fargeisii、银木荷Schima argentea、铁椎栲Castanopsis lamontii、南方铁杉Tsuga chinensis、长苞铁杉Tsuga longibracterata、马尾松Pinus massoniana;（2）在中亚热带,海拔对山地植物群落形成起决定性作用;（3）土壤是仅次于海拔的重要环境因子,其中土类和土层厚度对森林群落的影响较大。在中亚热带森林生态保护和恢复过程中,按照不同海拔高度的植物群落特征选择种植合适树种,按照当地土壤条件选择适当的生态保护和恢复措施能加快生态恢复的进程,提高生态保护的效益。     

闽西北地区不同龄组常绿阔叶混交林生态系统碳储量结构特征

选取福建西北部地区多群落类型组成的常绿阔叶混交林为研究对象,通过典型样地调查法,对生态系统各个层次进行取样调查,采用“相对生长法”计算乔木层生物量,灌木层、草本层和凋落物层采用全部收获法测得其生物量,对土壤层的调查采用剖面法加土钻法,代表性样品碳含量的测定采用重铬酸钾-外加热容量法。在此基础上,分析了该地区不同林龄常绿阔叶林生态系统碳储量及其格局特征,结果表明,（1）闽西北地区常绿阔叶林生态系统平均碳储量为260.63 t·hm-2。在每个发育阶段,各层片对整个生态系统碳储量的贡献率相对稳定,空间分布格局特征相似。幼龄林、中龄林、近熟林、成过熟林生态系统的碳储量分别为192.14、221.15、317.11和312.12 t·hm-2,基本表现出随林龄增加而逐渐增大的趋势。（2）乔木层、灌木层、草本层、凋落物层的平均碳质量分数分别为48.5%、46.9%、41.2%、44.0%,每个层片中,各器官的碳含量差异不大,乔木层、灌木层及草本层的碳质量分数表现出随层片高度降低而减小的趋势。土壤碳质量分数由表层到底层逐渐减小。0～10、10～20 cm土层碳质量分数均显著大于其余三个土层。（3）生物量碳储量在每个层片随着龄组不同,表现出不同的变化趋势。乔木层碳储量大小排序为近熟林﹥成过熟林﹥中龄林﹥幼龄林,灌木层与草本层在不同发育阶段的碳储量,均表现出以下规律：从幼龄林到中龄林不断增长,在中龄林达到最大值后,又随发育的进行显现出不断下降的趋势。随着地表凋落物现存量的不断增加,其碳储量也表现出幼龄林﹥中龄林﹥近熟林﹥成过熟林的趋势。土壤的平均碳储量为134.986 t·hm-2,随着林分发育,表现为成过熟林﹥近熟林﹥中龄林﹥幼龄林。     

Inorganic chemicals in domestic water of the United Arab Emirates

The concentration of selected inorganic chemicals was determined for 396 samples of bottled water, desalinated water, and groundwater used for drinking and domestic purposes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objective of this study was to compare the concentrations of inorganic chemicals in different domestic water types used in the UAE with the World Health Organization (WHO) limits for drinking water. Results of the present study revealed a wide variation in the concentrations of major, minor, and trace inorganic chemicals in domestic water of the UAE. For example, the bottled water sold for drinking is depleted in major ions and the total dissolved solids (TDS) in some brands do not exceed 100 mg/l. On the other hand, some of the domestic water used may contain as much as 3,000 mg/l TDS, which is above the WHO recommended limit for drinking water (500–1,500 mg/l TDS). Similarly, while bottled water is almost free of trace ions and minor constituents, some natural groundwater may have concentrations higher than the WHO recommended limits for drinking water. The cause of this variation is related to the different water sources and the large number of companies producing and distributing drinking and domestic water. Moreover, it is clear that the current controls on domestic water quality in some areas, namely conformance of pH and electrical conductivity measurements with prescribed ranges of values, are currently inadequate. These two parameters are not enough to judge if water is suitable for drinking or not and some consumers may receive domestic water of uncertain quality.     

A comparative study on the physicochemical and bacterial analysis of drinking, borewell and sewage water in the three different places of Sivakasi

The drinking, borewell and sewage water in the Sanmugasikamani Nadar (S.N) street, Naivatti Nadar (N.N) street and Thiruthangal area of Sivakasi has been studied. The various constituents monitored include the physicochemical characters like pH, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids; chemical parameters like total alkalinity acidity free CO2, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, salinity and bacterial parameters like standard plate count (SPC), total coliform count (TCC), faecal coliform count (FCC), faecal streptococcal count (FSC). Most of the physicochemical characters of drinking and borewell water were within the ISI permissible level. However in water samples from all the sites, bacterial count exceeded the recommended permissible level of WHO. Introduction of sewage into the drinking and borewell water was the main reason for the bacterial contamination. The boiling of water is therefore advisable before consumption. The physicochemical and bacterial characters of the sewage water were unworthy. The sewage water recycling was necessary to minimize the water born diseases.     

Effect of the ultraviolet/chlorine process on microbial community structure,typical pathogens,and antibiotic resistance genes in reclaimed water

• UV/chlorine can effectively remove VBNC pathogens, ARGs and MGEs in reclaimed water. • Microbial community was changed with reduced diversity during UV/chlorine process. • CRBs-carried MGEswere the predominant groups during UV/chlorine process. • No direct co-selection strategy was shared between UV/chlorine and resistome. Urban wastewater contains a wide range of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which are a serious concern if reusing treated wastewater. However, few studies have explored the microbial communities in reclaimed water using ultraviolet (UV)/chlorine treatment and assessed the changes of the resistome. This study investigated the occurrence of typical pathogens, ARGs, and bacterial communities in UV/chlorine-treated reclaimed water samples. The numbers of culturable and viable but non-culturable pathogens were effectively reduced to 0 CFU/mL within 1–10 and 10–30 min after UV/chlorine treatment, respectively. Meanwhile, the physicochemical indices of water quality were not affected. UV/chlorine treatment could significantly change the bacterial community structure of reclaimed water, showing a decrease in bacterial abundance and diversity. Chlorine-resistant Acinetobacter and Mycobacterium were the dominant bacterial genera (>50%) after UV/chlorine treatment. Moreover, the number of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) decreased with an increase in UV/chlorine exposure. However, eight ARGs and three MGEs were consistently detected in more than three seasons, making these major concerns because of their potential role in the persistence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Overall, the results of this study suggest that UV/chlorine treatment can potentially improve the microbiological safety of reclaimed water. And more attention should be paid to the pathogens that are both chlorine-resistant and carry MGEs because of their potential for resistance transmission.     

Operating mechanism and set pair analysis model of a sustainable water resources system

There is no alternative to the world’s water resources, and their increasing scarcity is making it difficult to meet the world population’s water needs. This paper presents a sustainable water resources system (SWRS) and analyzes the operating mechanism that makes it possible to evaluate the status of such a system. A SWRS can be described as a complex coupling system that integrates water resources, social, economic and ecological systems into a whole. The SWRS’s operating mechanism is composed of dynamic, resistance and coordination components, and it interacts with and controls the system’s evolution process. The study introduces a new approach, set pair analysis theory, to measure the state of a SWRS, and an evaluation index system is established using the subsystems and operating mechanism of a SWRS. The evaluation index system is separated into three levels (goal level, criteria level and index level) and divides the index standard into five grades. An evaluation model of the SWRS based on set pair analysis theory is constructed, and an example of SWRS evaluation in Shanghai is presented. The connection degrees of the index in the three levels are calculated, and the connection degree of the goal index is calculated to be 0.342, which classifies the city’s SWRS condition as grade 2. The sustainable use of water resources in the region is determined to be at a relatively adequate level that meets the requirements of sustainable development.